School Fight Leads to Pepper Spray, Bite, Charges

An argument that led to a teacher being shoved resulted in two students being pepper sprayed and facing juvenile petitions Monday.
The sheriff’s office reported that School Resource Officer V. Lancaster was called to West Columbus High School around 12:40 p.m. to a report of a disturbance. A teacher had asked for assistance after a verbal argument between two male students began escalating in a classroom, the report said.
“As SRO Lancaster approached,” the report said, “one of the juveniles became physically aggressive, pushing a teacher and initiating a physical altercation with the other student.”
Lancaster instructed the students to stop fighting, the report said, but they refused.
“SRO Lancaster deployed pepper spray to de-escalate the situation,” the report said. “Both students were detained and decontaminated on-site.”
One student sustained minor injuries from a bite sustained in the argument, the report said.
Both students face juvenile petitions for simple affray, and one for assault on a government official. Parents of each of the students have been notified, the report said.